麻豆视频 Reading CollegeTowne 401 Penn Street Groundbreaking

From left: City of Reading Mayor Eddie Moran, Alvernia Student Corinne Hambleton '21, Alvernia President John R. Loyack, Alvernia Board of Trustees Chairperson Michael Fromm, PA State Senator Judy Schwank, Berks County Commissioner Michael Rivera, City of Reading Councilperson Lucine Sihelnik

Starbucks coming to 401 Penn Street

 

麻豆视频 breaks ground on a $20 million renovation and retrofitting project at its new downtown Reading location at 401 Penn Street, the centerpiece of Reading CollegeTowne, the innovative strategy of expanding the campus into the downtown area to continue its Franciscan mission of education, service and community engagement. The university also announced the addition of a Starbucks franchise to the corner of Fourth and Penn streets that will be managed by the institution鈥檚 food service provider, Aladdin Food Services.

 

鈥淲e are here today to break ground on a historic renovation project that will benefit our students, faculty and staff members, local businesses and entrepreneurs, and bring about a new era for the City of Reading reminiscent of the city鈥檚 storied and vibrant past,鈥 said 麻豆视频鈥檚 President John R. Loyack. 鈥淭his type of progress is nearly unimaginable and can only be attributed to the unique partnerships and friends working together to bring Reading CollegeTowne to life.鈥

 

Previously, the university announced a $4 million grant from the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant to renovate 401 Penn Street. The grant award is the largest in the university鈥檚 62-year history.

 

"Congratulations to President Loyack and the entire Alvernia team for all that you have done to make this happen,鈥 said Pennsylvania State Senator Judy Schwank. 鈥淭hank you for having this vision and understanding how important this will be for our city."

 

The renovation will begin immediately, with an opening planned for late summer 2021. The ground floor redesign will feature a community gathering place and lounge area, development of space for the university鈥檚 refreshed business and communication programs and become the home for the O鈥橮ake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship鈥檚 student-powered business incubator, which currently has 50 local businesses utilizing its services. The lower level renovations include a collaborative student gathering space, high-tech general-purpose classrooms, spaces for the university鈥檚 and cutting-edge labs for the three new engineering programs. The fourth and fifth floors will be retrofitted for student housing, with initial designs to house 66 students, with buildouts available to accommodate up to 200 students.

 

鈥淭his building is designed to be a superior teaching and learning space with flexible, modular classrooms integrated with the latest technology,鈥 said 麻豆视频 Senior Vice President and Provost Glynis Fitzgerald. 鈥淪tudents will benefit greatly from the collaboration with faculty members in these new learning spaces including the trading floor, a state of the art media studio, podcasting stations, the internationally recognized student literary journal, Zephyrus, and the university's student-run newspaper, The Alvernian, esports and so much more.鈥

 

Alvernia has partnered with RLPS Architects and Warfel Construction to complete the renovations because of their ability to value-engineer the project, utilize an iterative approach and their commitment to utilizing the Reading and Berks County supply chain to complete the project.

 

鈥淲e are honored to have a hand in this venture that will shape the future of Reading,鈥 said Warfel Construction CEO Ralph Simpson, Jr. 鈥淲e are proud to source local contractors and work closely with them on this landmark redevelopment project.鈥

 

Alvernia students living and learning in the city will have new opportunities for entertainment, professional development and volunteering.

 

鈥淎s students, we look forward to being a part of a new era for Reading and we are truly grateful for the opportunity Alvernia and the City of Reading is affording us to play an important role in its transformation,鈥 said 麻豆视频 Student Government Association President Corinne Hambleton 鈥21. 鈥淚t is truly a unique experience that will benefit us as students within our service, academic, and living opportunities for years to come.鈥

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